The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-07-17
THE SUNDAY. JULY 1se7TWEIyE PAGES
NEW EARTHQUAKE POINTS.
Shocks Every Yearin New England
-VO canic Action i'll the West.


The recent dispatch from Sum mer
vile, near Charleston, giving the infor-
nation that shock of earthquake &C
companjed with the now familiar roar
ing sound, had been experienced, came
so soon after the cable message announc-
ing earthquake shocks in Turkestan,
that many people were disposed to
believe in the certainty of some connee-
lion between the two phenomena.
A gentleman, in fact, called at the
Tribune Office on June 18th, Immediately
after the news of the disaster in Asia
Minor, and predicted renewal of the
seismic shocks in South Carolina. As
that prediction was apparently verified,
though after an interval of nine days
a reporter went to ascertain the views of
Professor ]. S. Newberry, of Columbia
College, who is recognized as an author
ity on seismic disturbances, The pro-
lessor plunged at once into discussion
on the subject. saying that he was OPP
posed to the views of Sir William
Thompson and others who denied that
the central part of The earth was molten.
That" said he, lis the core OF the
matter. l can only give you my views,
and YOU must not ask me for the views
of other people. To your question as 10
whether there was any connection
between the shocks in southern Europe
and western Asia, and those of Charles
ton ana Mexico decidedly answer in
the negative. What IS an earthquake
Once the answer would have been that
It was an uncompleted effort of nature
to establish volcano, but now the
current of scientific opinion is that the
volcano is but an incident in the bust
ness. An earthquake is the result of the
contraction of the earth's crust caused
by loss of heat through radiation. Did
you ever keep ounce for the sake Of
the perfume among your linen ?"
Yes" was the answer, l do 1t every
year"
Then you must have noticed how
the ounce became wrinkled as it con-
tracted by drying up. Now that is what
is happening to the earth. and the great
mountain chains have been built up as
those wrinkles in the ounce were, BY
the overlapping and folding up and
crushing of substance through the con-
traction caused by loss of heat. There
fore a line of mountains is line of
weakness, and as the process of con
traction is always going on there will
always be earthquake shocks somewhere
along mountain chains. Now, volcano
is the result of matter being thrust up
ward from the molten interior, and it
usually is so protruded in great faults
or assures like the Comstock.
do you think that there is any indi-
cation of a line of volcanoes being
established from that one just started
n the Sierra Madre in Sonora through
Texas and on east and north of the
Bald mountain, of whose eccentric con-
luct so much has been written?"
No; but believe that there is now
n existence a line of volcanic action
which runs along long. extended fault
The San Francisco group of mountains
ar from extinct. Mount Taylor in New
cascade mountains on the pacific slope
ontain volcanoes that are still active,
UGH as Mounts Shasta, Rainier and
Hood.
Yes; but Bald mountain, professor!
Are the Alleghanies entirely outside OF
IL these interesting developments? ?"
You seem to want volcano on the |
Atlantic side."
"Are there no hopes for Bald Mount
Iin?"
None, believe"
Are there no hopes of volcano
rC'nu from thn SnyN1or-hnro 70 tho |
outheast of Charleston?'
None hat | am aware of; but YOU !
'ught to have lived in the Triassic Age, |
which was the volcanic epoch of this |
'art of America, and then you might |
lave seen the building of the Palisades.
With regard to your idea of a volcano |
o the southeast of Charleston, that is
'ased upon the indubitable fact that
many shocks Travelled from theHsouth-
asst to the northwest, though the great
majority were from other points. have
)nsidered that fact, and have come to
be con 2lusion that one cause which has
contributed to disturb the
tatic equilibrium of the earth's crusti is
o be found in the deposition upon the
ca bottom of sedimentary LAYERS caused
Y erosions. AS these accumulate they
ot only impose new burdens on the
Underlying rocks, but by acting as
lankets and preventing the escape of |
eat they promote the softening of the
ca bottom, which yield to lateral pres
ure, and is forced up in a series of |
aults and folds. have no doubt this is
ne cause Of the earthquake vibrations
Thich have been so frequent along our
Atlantic coast.
Il recently received from friend in
'oston, Mr.. w. T. Brigham Historical
Totes on the Earthquakes of New Eng
md from 1888 to 1869 and there were
81 OF them, or one year. You may
e quite sure that these were strictly |
zeal, and proceeded from faults in
fountain chains or from sedimentary |
epOsits on the sea bottom. New York |